UNICEF Launches Record $2.2 Billion Emergency Appeal

FILE - A child drinks from a bucket in the catholic youth center Don Bosco in Bangui where thousands of internally displaced people, including hundreds of children, live, according to calculations undertaken by UNICEF.

Related Articles

GENEVA— The U.N. Children’s Fund is announcing a record $2.2 billion appeal to provide emergency assistance this year for 85 million people, including 59 million children in 50 countries. While almost 40 percent of the appeal is for Syria and the nearby region, Africa remains the continent with the largest number of emergencies in the world.

The lion’s share of the money -- $845 million -- would pay for life-saving aid for some 10 million people, half of them children, in Syria and neighboring countries of refuge. Priority needs include immunization, water and sanitation, education and protection.

While Africa has many emergencies, UNICEF said two in particular stand out.

UNICEF’s director of emergency programs, Ted Chaiban, said it is urgent to position essential supplies in the Central African Republic and South Sudan before the rainy season begins in six to eight weeks.

"We are in a race against time,” Chaiban said. He has just returned from a weeklong visit to conflict-ridden South Sudan.

“In the case of South Sudan, the whole place becomes swamped, or most of the place becomes swamped. If you do not move now to pre-position supplies, to strengthen the services, have the resources in place to be able to address issues like malaria, issues like diarrheal diseases and the risk of cholera, issues like severe acute malnutrition, and food and security generally -- then we could be facing a catastrophe in 45 to 60 days,” said Chaiban

Fighting between the government and rebels in South Sudan broke out in mid-December. The U.N. estimates more than 730,000 people are internally displaced and another 130,000 have fled to neighboring countries. The majority of those affected are women and children.

While in South Sudan, Chaiban looked at the condition of displaced people in Minkaman and around the capital Juba. He was also able to visit some of the 38,000 people who have taken refuge in the U.N. compound in Malakal.

He said he was impressed by the work U.N. agencies are doing in providing essential services for these displaced populations.

“What is important is to be able to access that population and to do so quickly because the more time elapses, the worse the condition of the children that you reach, the more difficult it is to recover either from either malnutrition or diarrheal diseases or upper respiratory infections,” he stated.

Chaiban said $62 million is needed for emergency programs in Central African Republic this year and $75 million for South Sudan.

While those countries and Syria are in the headlines, he urged donors to remember other emergencies, such as Burma, Yemen and Afghanistan, where the desperate humanitarian needs of people are crying out for help.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

Video

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

Video

Diagnosing infections such as HIV requires expensive clinical tests, making the procedure too costly for many poor patients or those living in remote areas. But a new technology called lab-on-a-chip may make the tests more accessible to many. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Afghan officials have expressed concern over reports of a crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan following the Peshawar school attack in December. Reports of mass arrests and police harassment coupled with fear of an uncertain future are making life difficult for a population that fled its homeland to escape war. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad.

Video

Despite the ongoing ceasefire in Ukraine, soldiers in the city of Mariupol fear that pro-Russian separatists may be getting ready to attack. The separatists must take or encircle the city if they wish to gain land access to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia early last year. But Ukrainian forces, many of them volunteers, say they are determined to defend it. Patrick Wells reports from Mariupol.

Video

As low oil prices and Western sanctions force Russia's economy into recession, thousands of Moscow restaurants are expected to close their doors. Restaurant owners face rents tied to foreign currency, while rising food prices mean Russians are spending less when they dine out. One entrepreneur in Moscow has started a dinner kit delivery service for those who want to cook at home to save money but not skimp on quality. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports.

Video

The United States and Cuba say they have made progress in the second round of talks on restoring diplomatic relations more than 50 years after breaking off ties. Delegations from both sides met in Washington on Friday to work on opening embassies in Havana and Washington and iron out key obstacles to historic change. VOA’s Mary Alice Salinas reports from the State Department.

Video

One after another, presumptive Republican presidential contenders auditioned for conservative support this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference held outside Washington. The rhetoric was tough as a large field of potential candidates tried to woo conservative support with red-meat attacks on President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. VOA Political Columnist Jim Malone takes a look.

Video

New Yorkers take pride in setting world trends — in fashion, the arts and fine dining. The city’s famous biannual Restaurant Week plays a significant role in a booming tourism industry that sustains 359,000 jobs and generates $61 billion in yearly revenue. VOA's Ramon Taylor reports.

Video

Issues like the Keystone XL pipeline, fracking and instability in the Middle East are driving debate in the U.S. about making America energy independent. Recently, the American Energy Innovation Council urged Congress and the White House to make expanded energy research a priority. One beneficiary of increased energy spending would be the Brookhaven National Lab, where clean, renewable, efficient energy is the goal. VOA's Bernard Shusman reports.

Video

There has been a surge of interest in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, thanks in part to the Hollywood motion picture "Selma." Five decades later, communities in the South are embracing the dark chapters of their past with hopes of luring tourism dollars. VOA's Chris Simkins reports.

Video

With the end of summer in the Southern hemisphere, the Antarctic research season is over. Scientists from Northern Illinois University are back in their laboratory after a 3-month expedition on the Ross Ice Shelf, the world’s largest floating ice sheet. As VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports, they hope to find clues to explain the dynamics of the rapidly melting ice and its impact on sea level rise.

Video

A Lao dam project on a section of the Mekong River is drawing opposition from local fishermen, international environmental groups and neighboring countries. VOA's Say Mony visited the region to investigate the concerns. Colin Lovett narrates.